The founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Dr. Tunde Bakare, has revealed that he is under intense pressure from political stakeholders to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Bakare made the disclosure on Saturday during the maiden edition of the Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series titled “Nigeria at 65: Historical Reflections, Futuristic Projection” held in Oregun, Lagos.
The cleric, however, ruled out any possibility of joining the ADC, stressing that his loyalty remains with the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he helped to establish.
“There has been a lot of pressure on me from who is who to join ADC.
They come to my home. Even while I was abroad, the hierarchy of that party kept calling, saying they needed my voice,” Bakare said.
He explained that one of his younger political associates, who had held key positions under the APC, also encouraged him to lend his influence to the ADC.
Bakare, however, rejected the proposal, stating that he would not be part of any move capable of weakening the ruling party.
“I am not going to take part in ADC. The last time I knew about ADC was about a plane that crashed. I wish them well, because we need a robust opposition.
But you don’t birth a child called APC and then try to kill it yourself. We are not going to have another Awolowo–Akintola crisis in the South-West,” he said.
The cleric, who played an instrumental role in the formation of the APC, added that the emergence of President Bola Tinubu was a product of divine providence.
“If God wants to remove ‘Emilokan,’ He knows how to do it. You can’t get the kind of thing Tinubu has brought without God’s support,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, identified corruption and tribalism as Nigeria’s biggest challenges.
“The two problems our country faces are corruption and tribalism.
“If these two evils are eradicated, Nigeria will progress. Corruption is the father or mother of tribalism. If the money being stolen was available for development, Nigeria would be far better,” Osuntokun said.
He further noted that the ethnicity of the president should not matter if governance delivers tangible results.
“The fact that Tinubu is president does not automatically improve the life of an average Yoruba man, just as an Igbo presidency will not improve the life of the ordinary Igbo man without development,” he added.